Apophysomyces elegans P. C. Misra, K. J. Srivast. & Lata 1979

Apophysomycesis agenusof filamentousfungithat are commonly found in soil and decaying vegetation. Species normally grow intropicaltosubtropicalregions.^[1]

The genusApophysomyceshistorically wasmonospecific, containing only thetype speciesApophysomyces elegans. In 2010, three new species were described:A.variabilis,A.trapeziformis, andA.ossiformis.^{[2](Wikipedia 2014)}

Apophysomyces elegans is saprobic (lives on dead or dying tissue) on humans; fungal diseases associated with this species were originally only thought to affect patients at the epidermal level. Lately, it has been associated with much more serious infections (Chakrabarti et al., 2010). Most infections are a result of contamination of wounds or burns after a traumatic event (Alexander, 2010). A. elegans is one of four recently described pathogenic species in the Apophysomyces Genus including A. trapeziformis, A. ossiformis, and A. variabilis (Etienne et al., 2012)

Apophysomyces elegans is also associated with the potentially fatal disease, Rhino-orbitocerebral mucormycosis (ROCM). This fungal infection feeds in the nasal passages and brain. It invades soft tissue, nerves and bone resulting in necrosis of infected areas. It typically only affects individuals with diabetes or a compromised immune system, however, can rarely affect healthy individuals (Parsi et al., 2013). It was believed to be a rare pathogen in subtropical climates. Recently, this species has been identified more frequently and widely. There have been people infected with A. elegans from four continents: Asia, North America and Caribbean islands, South America, and Australia (Chakrabarti et al., 2010). The infection can spread directly to adjacent cells or through the blood. Rarely, it has been observed to spread through the open spaces surrounding nerves (perineural spread) (Parsi et al., 2013).

Inhalation is the primary source of infection for ROCM. It has only recently been identified to be caused by A. elegans; there are more common species of the Order Mucorales which infect and cause quicker damage and death than A. elegans. “The species of the genera Absidia, Rhizopus, Rhizomucor, Mucor and Apophysomyces have been reported to cause invasive infections” (Parsi et al., 2013).

Treatment of patients typically begins with debridement, the removal of dead and damaged skin. An intravenous antifungal such as Amphotericin B may be administered as well as other antifungal drugs from the Azole family. Patients will be on antifungal medications for multiple weeks to reduce the chance of resurgence. Depending on the extent of debridement, skin grafts may also be required (Reddy et al., 2008).

Isolation of A. elegans is possible in the laboratory; Mohapatra et al. (2010) note that A. elegans may need a certain media in order to sporulate. Sabouroud's dextrose, cornmeal, or potato dextrose agar are suitable media for sporulation of most Mucorales fungi, however, A. elegans is known to produce only sterile hyphae. Soil extract agar has proven to allow sporulation of A. elegans (Mohapatra et al., 2010). The suggested media is as follows: garden soil 500g, dextrose 2 g, yeast extract 1 g, potassium phosphate 0.5g, agar 15 g., and tap water 1000 ml. Mycelia is white for the first few days of growth, then turns more grey-brown as the sporangia mature (Misra et al., 1979).

Apophysomyces elegans is a fungus in the phylum Zygomycota and Order Mucorales. It was first described in 1979 (Misra et al., 1979). A. elegans was first found in North India in a mango field; its distribution, however, was eventually found to be almost worldwide (Devi et al., 2008). It has broad branching hyphae and scarce septations (Alexander, 2010). Apophysomyce elegans has thick-walled sporangiophores and campanulate (bell-shaped) apophyses (Sarvia-Flores et al., 2009). Rhizoids, root-like filaments, may also be present. Apophyses (swelling at the base of a sporangium) are funnel-shaped; sporangia are pyriform (pear-shaped) (Reddy et al., 2008). Sporangia are produced singly on sporangiophores with multiple spores (Misra et al., 1979). “Sporangiospores mostly oblong with rounded ends, sub hyaline, thin-walled, smooth” (Misra et al., 1979). Apophysomyces elegans resides in soil and rotting vegetation (Alexander, 2010).